LOL

7 LGBTQ+ comedians you should know

By Joshua S. Mackey

December 30, 2023 · Updated on May 15, 2024

Comedy continues to get queerer and queerer and we couldn’t be happier. From hilarious standup sets to comedic film features, LGBTQ+ comedians are changing the game when it comes to making audiences (both straight and queer alike) ROFL. 

Wanda Sykes, Mae Martin, Margaret Cho, Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon, Lena Waithe, Jaboukie Young-White, are some of the most notable names in comedy. And while they deserve all of the accolades (and your laughs), here are several more LGBTQ+ comedians you can LOL to any day of the week. 

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Dewayne Perkins

This Chicago native got his start in comedy, but is actually a triple threat. Comedian, actor, and screenwriter Dewayne Perkins brings the laughs to all of his projects, whether that’s doing standup for Comedy Central, acting on The Upshaws, or reinventing the horror comedy genre with his film The Blackening. Needless to say, there’s really nothing he can’t do, but believe he’ll do it hilariously. 

Sabrina Wu

From high school talent shows to starring in feature films, Sabrina Wu’s rise to comedy stardom is pretty prolific. After graduating Harvard University (no big deal), they joined Disney+’s Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. as a staff writer. Of course, they didn’t stay behind the camera long, as they starred in Adele Lim’s Joy Ride alongside Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, and fellow comedian Sherry Cola. And when you add in being named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch, we can say that Wu is a big deal. 

Sophie Santos

Sophie Santos’ comedy 50% confessional, 50% awkward, and 100% hilarious. The award-winning comedian is pushing the “Lesbian Agenda” (also the name of her standup show) through comedy, while finding time to write for shows like Kenan Thompson’s Lil Interns and creating her own Lambda Literary Award-winning book One You Want to Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had). Sophie is busy sharing lesbian propaganda and we want to share it with her. 

Mawaan Rizwan

Being a YouTuber isn’t necessarily a walk in the park, but making a transition into comedy isn’t any less difficult. Still, British comedian Mawaan Rizwan makes it look easy. From writing for shows like Sex Education, to producing comedic music videos like the juicy “Mango,” to performing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Rizwan is taking his talents everywhere. But why stop there? He recently released the TV series Juice based on his Edinburgh Fringe show and will pop up the upcoming season of Doctor Who. 

Patti Harrison

In an interview for Vogue, Patti Harrison described herself as “an evil shitty person on stage, in a very conscious way—the evil is punching up.” Well, if that’s the case, then we want her comedy to be as evil as can be. In 2017, Harrison (who’s transgender) gained immense popularity from appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as a correspondent where she joked about (and tore apart) Donald Trump’s ban on trans folks in the military. Since then, she’s appeared on Ziwe, Shrill, Theater Camp, and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. No billionaire-turned-president is safe around Harrison. 

Kemah Bob

Kemah Bob’s comedy is a little bit of advocacy and a whole lot of laughs. With her work centering around Blackness, mental health, sexuality, and gender, this queer comedian uses comedy as a tool for enlightenment, empowerment, and, of course, plenty of humor. Taking her talents from Texas to the UK, they hosted It’s a Sin – After Hours, co-host The Guilty Feminist podcast, in addition to writing for Quibi’s Hello America, Netflix’s Death to 2020 & Death to 2021, and British panel show Have I Got News For You. Did we mention that they also have a drag persona named Lil’ Test Ease? 

Vinny Thomas

The pandemic created an uptick of folks glued to social media, which worked out perfectly for Vinny Thomas whose outlandish videos took over the internet. From his pigeon at pride video to his Billy Porter impressions, you can’t help but LOL at Thomas’ work. Speaking of which, while you can watch him on Instagram, you can also catch him on Apple TV+’s Platonic and Disney+’s Ahsoka. 

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